By Isaac Arkoh
Saltpond (C/R), July 05, GNA – The Pragyia Riders Association (PRA) in the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central Region has committed to fixing all potholes in the vicinity to bolster road safety for residents and commuters.
This initiative, dubbed: “Obia bedidi,”seeks to mend the multitude of potholes that have been exacerbated by the recent torrential rains.
The project has already commenced in Mankessim, the commercial epicenter of the Municipality, along the pothole-ridden Volta Bar Road and the Mankessim-Cape Coast Highway.
It is being done in collaboration with local authorities, particularly the Assembly, security agencies and the media.
Mr Adu Gyamfi Marfo, the Patron of PRA disclosed this when he led the group to pay a courtesy call on Mr Stanley Acquah, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Mfantseman.
Accompanied by PRA executives, they formally introduced themselves to the MCE and articulated their vision to him to garner his support to rejuvenate the Municipality for mutual benefits.
He emphasised that fixing the roads would substantially diminish accidents, enhance travel comfort, and promote safer transportation for both riders and other road users.
The overarching aspiration of PRA, he said, was to transform the Municipality and the Region at large into a secured environment for pragyia riders, thereby stimulating economic growth.
He acknowledged that road maintenance was a governmental obligation, however, due to constrained public funds, many roads in the area were riddled with potholes.
Consequently, their resolve to address the pressing need as part of their corporate social responsibility.
In addition to the road repairs, Mr Marfo disclosed that PRA had launched an extensive clean-up campaign throughout the Municipality aimed at enhancing the overall environmental sanitation in the community.
Addressing the necessity of upholding discipline among pragyia riders, Mr Marfo said the association would not hesitate to expunge the name of any individual who contravened road traffic regulations or engage in misconduct that could tarnish the reputation of pragyia riders.
The medium-term vision is to promote good conduct in pragyia riders and ensure they adhered to road traffic regulations to ultimately instil behavioural change and minimise misconduct to bolster public confidence in that transport system.
To this end, he stated that PRA had instituted a system of issuing unique identification numbers for the tricycles and ID cards with distinctive security features to all registered pragyia riders in the municipality.
This measure is designed to enhance accountability and professionalism within the sector.
Mr Acquah expressed profound admiration for the discipline, innovation, and civic responsibility exhibited by the leadership of PRA.
He pledged the Assembly’s unwavering support for their patriotic activities and assured the provision of office space to facilitate their duties and augment regulatory oversight.
Establishing a dedicated PRA office would streamline operations, improve coordination, and enable more effective regulation of activities within the Municipality.
Additionally, in a firm declaration, the MCE stated: “No pragyia ID Card, no license.”
The MCE further promised to extend ongoing sanitation initiatives to other communities to promote environmental cleanliness to safeguard public health.
In response to concerns regarding the deplorable condition of roads in the area, the MCE announced government plans to undertake road construction projects aimed at enhancing transportation infrastructure and improving accessibility for residents.
Mr. Acquah, however, cautioned parents against encouraging children under the age of 21 to ride pragyia , reminding them that the law will be enforced impartially to deal with underage riders.
GNA
Edited by Alice Tettey/Benjamin Mensah